Open file

The rook on the e-file (marked with crosses) is on an open file since there are no pawns on it. The rook can move to any square on the file, uninhibited by pawns.

An open file in chess is a file with no pawns of either color on it.[1] In the diagram, the e-file is an open file. An open file can provide a line of attack for a rook or queen. Having rook(s) and/or queen(s) on open files or half-open files is considered advantageous, as it allows a player to attack more easily, since a rook or queen can move down the file to penetrate the opponent's position.

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A common strategic objective for a rook or queen on an open file is to reach its seventh or eighth rank (or for Black, its second or first rank). Controlling the seventh rank (or second rank for Black) is generally worth at least a pawn, as most of the opponent's pawns will usually reside there. Aron Nimzowitsch first recognized the power of a major piece on an open file, writing in his famous book My System that the main objective of a rook or queen on an open file is "the eventual occupation of the 7th or 8th rank."[2]

Many games are decided based on this strategy. In the game Anand–Ivanchuk, Amber 2001,[3] Anand sacrificed a pawn to open the d-file. White then used the open file to deploy his rooks to the seventh and eighth ranks and win the game, by exploiting the weakness of Black's a-pawn. White's dominance on the d-file allowed him to maneuver his rooks to aggressive posts deep within Black's defense.

Creating and Exploiting an Open File

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Anand–Ivanchuk, after 34. e5!

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After 34... dxe5, White obtained the open d-file (marked with crosses)

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Position after 38. Rd8 – White's rooks have occupied the 7th and 8th ranks

^According to Nimzowitsch, "A file is said to be open for the Rook when no pawn of his [own color] is in it." Elsewhere, "From the definition of an open file, it follows that a file will be opened by the disappearance of one of our own pawns." This defines what others call a half open file.